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Justice News

Loves Park Man Sentenced to More Than 17 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child Pornography

ROCKFORD — A Loves Park man was sentenced in federal court today before U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard for producing child pornography.

ZACHARY RODRIGUEZ, 26, who pleaded guilty on Oct. 14, 2016, was sentenced to 210 months, to be followed by eight years of supervised release.

According to a written plea agreement, Rodriguez admitted that on Nov. 6, 2014, he persuaded and enticed a minor female victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purposes of having the minor victim use a cell phone to take photographs of the sexually explicit conduct and then having the minor victim text the images to Rodriguez by cell phone from Iowa to Loves Park. According to the plea agreement, the female victim was 14 years of age at the time the pictures were produced and transmitted.

Rodriguez further admitted that between Aug. 9, 2014, and Jan. 20, 2015, he similarly persuaded four other minor female victims, who were between the ages of 14 and 17, to do the same. The minor victims resided in Ohio, Arizona, Connecticut and Wisconsin. Each time, Rodriguez persuaded the victims to text the photographs to him in Illinois.

The sentencing was announced by Joel R. Levin, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Michael J. Anderson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Loves Park Police Department assisted in the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Love.